You’ve worked hard and your student has been accepted to college. A parent’s worst nightmare is them dropping out and not finishing. This infographic sheds some light on the reasons why students drop out of college. Once you know the reasons, you can better prepare your student for college. Knowledge is ALWAYS power!
Source: Online Classes
If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. I know it’s a very volatile subject, but I came across this post on Facebook this morning by an anonymous student. I have to say, his or her parents must be VERY proud:
If you don’t want to reach for the glasses, here is the text of his statement:
I am a college senior, about to graduate completely debt free. I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hours a week making barely above minimum wage. I chose a moderately priced in-state, public university. I started saving money for school at age 17. I got decent grades in high school and received two scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition. I currently have a 3.8 GPA. I live comfortably in a cheap apartment, knowing I can’t have everything I want. I don’t eat out every day, or even once a month. I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone–and I’m perfect OK with that. If I did have debt, I would NOT blame Wall Street or the government for my own bad decisions. I live below my means to continue saving for the future. I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my a** off for everything I have. That’s how it’s supposed to work. I am NOT the 99% and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.
At some point, we ALL have to claim responsibility for our actions. If you want your student to become an independent responsible adult, teach him that all actions have consequences and that he always has a choice. That is how to succeed in parenting responsible students.
Last week, I wrote a short post about how colleges are using social media to connect with students. It’s a game-changer in college recruiting. Small colleges can level the playing field and stand out from the crowd by using social media. Unknown colleges can establish a presence and draw in students who might never have even known they existed.
US News-Education published an article today listing 5 ways that colleges are reaching high school students. Here’s a short summary:
If you have a college-bound teen, look for these innovative ways that colleges will be connecting with your student. An innovative, forward-thinking college might be a perfect fit for your student and a great place to educate an innovative, forward-thinking student.
Social networks have been blamed to negatively affect student academia. On the contrary, other data suggests a positive light on Facebook to benefit students. This infographic depicts how these benefits are being utilized by students to enrich their college experience.
Created by: Online PhD
I just read a great post by a parent who is going through the college admissions process talking about College Admissions Secrets. Take a few minutes to read it because it addresses an important issue with parents: What can I do to assure my student will get accepted to college? Is there a secret?
One admissions officer was asked this question and responded using social media (Twitter). Do you think this was from one of those “helicopter” parents?
I would bet that some admissions representatives regret the day that parents found them on Twitter and Facebook. Now they can ask the questions they have been dying to ask, even at the dismay of some of the college representatives.
For colleges and students, social media can be a two-edged sword in many respects. It gives colleges the opportunity to connect with a larger applicant pool and share their message to a vast number of prospective students. But it also allows the parents of those applicants to interact and insert their questions into the process. Social media allows students to connect directly one-on-one with college representatives and current students. But it also means that students need to be more vigilant about their online persona because the colleges are watching.
If you would like to see how two colleges are using social media to reach students, follow the links below:
If your student is applying to one of these colleges or any other colleges with a social media presence, let them make the connections themselves. Don’t be one of those parents who make admissions officers run for cover. Encourage your student to search for each college’s social media page and pursue those connections on their own. Let them, as one admissions representative once told me, “drive the car”.
As a parent, it’s always a wonderful thing to see your child growing up. The years can pass by so swiftly that before you realize it, it’s already time for him or her to prepare for the college admission tests.
But the bigger question is—are you prepared to shoulder the expenses that a college diploma entails? If you already have a plan and a separate fund ready for action, then there’s nothing for you to worry about. However, if you’re the kind of parent who has put off college planning until the last minute, you have to decide on a plan as quickly as possible so you can discuss it with your child.
College is a major decision that you and your child will have to tackle seriously. It entails great financial resources, the tenacity to stay on despite the rigorous academic requirements and emotional support from one another.
It is never bad to aim for high goals, but make sure that you and your child have realistic expectations given the scarcity of financial aid programs and the difficulties of being admitted to the top educational institutions in the country. He can’t study at an expensive school if you can’t afford it and scholarships don’t always fill in the gaps. You can’t force him to take a particular course if he doesn’t have even an ounce of interest in the subject matter.
Deciding about what to do for college is something that you and your child should mutually make. Here is some food for thought as you sit down and talk about college with your child:
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When not out building relationships with other bloggers, Krisca Te can be found reading blogs that tackle how to save money. She is also a personal finance freak who is currently working with CCF, a personal finance blog that writes about financial literacy.
Do you have a creative student? Writer, photographer, graphic artist, filmmaker, print designer, architect? Here’s their chance to enter a contest that could net them $10,000 for college. All they have to do is enter–how simple is that!
Adobe is looking for examples of unique self-expression, individualism and creativity using their Adobe Creative Suite 5.5. Your student can download a FREE trial and create anything using the Suite and upload it to their Imagination Gallery.
Adobe will be awarding a $10,000 prize from the finalists of four entry periods. Entry Period 4 has already begun and it’s not too late to submit an entry. You don’t have to enter the contest to win the daily prize. Then, once the finalists are chosen, you will get a chance to have people vote on your submission. Tap your Facebook friends, your Twitter followers, your Google+ circles, your family and friends.
While you’re there, vote for the current finalists and give someone a chance to win!
While you’re at it, check out the REAL OR FAKE app that gives you a chance to decide whether or not the photo is “real or fake”. It’s pretty darn cool!
How about it parents? Do you use Facebook to “spy” on your kids? Or do you like to think of it as “helping them protect their personal brand”? Whatever the reason, you’re not in the minority. Check out this cool infographic and see where you fit in; and DON’T share this with your teen!
Courtesy of: OnlineSchools.com
Today’s guest post is written by Carol Jones, author of Toward College Success: Is Your Teenager Ready, Willing, and Able? Carol approaches the college preparation process from more than an academic viewpoint. She recognizes that students need to be taught to be independent adults before heading off to college.
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By now, most parents and their students are settled back into the routine of school. Back-to-school night is over and students have their schedules down. Now that the chaos has smoothed a bit, consider this: Nearly 27 percent of college freshmen flunk out, drop out, or disappear mysteriously from their university and college campuses. When your son or daughter waves goodbye from the dorm parking lot, what’s the chance that he or she is going to add to that statistic?
Whether you have a high school senior, a freshman, or even a middle schooler, parents who expect their child to go on to higher education need to prepare those students while they are still living at home. If parents really want their students to successfully maneuver all the temptations of parties, late nights, and skipping classes while culling a college education, a degree, and the beginning of a promising career, they need to start preparing their teenagers long before the end of high school.
And I am not talking just about academics. Academics is, of course, an crucial part, but if your teenager cannot wake himself up in the morning, cannot handle conflict, cannot manage her time and priorities, cannot self-advocate, cannot manage his money, does not know when she needs help or how to get it, then despite a stellar grade point average, that teenager will be leaving home with a deficit.
In my book, Toward College Success: Is Your Teenager, Ready, Willing, and Able?, I show parents that developing the skills for a successful college experience needs to begin long before you wave goodbye at the dorm parking lot. Most of the skills I am talking about are covered in basic parenting, but many of us in an attempt to instruct, guide, and model, end up interfering and rescuing—which, of course, only teaches them that mom and dad will take care of everything.
Teenagers need graduated responsibilities with real consequences. Many will stumble, but when they do make progress, they should be rewarded with more responsibility. For example: extend curfew hours, allow more driving privileges, let them take on a part-time job, even let older teens attend events without adult supervision. Praise them when they show responsible behavior and be ready to go back a step when they don’t.
Let your teenager make his own appointments to talk with a teacher or to make the orthodontist appointment. Guide him to figure out his time and calendar and commitments—you will not be there to do it for him in college. College is a time of much change, more freedom, and new and challenging situations. Students who come already capable of figuring out how to solve a conflict with a roommate, how to safely handle themselves at a party, how to determine just how much time they need to study for that mid-term, are the students more likely to succeed in their academics. Look for the opportunities to give your middle and high school students a chance to mature, to be responsible, to learn from failures and consequences, and to accept challenges. By doing so, you are guiding them toward college success.
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To learn more about Toward College Success: Is Your Teenager Ready, Willing, and Able?, go to http://www.pcaroljones.com/ to read excerpts, buy the book, follow Carol on Facebook, or to read her blog.
Last week I did a radio interview with Power Women Magazine about the college prep process and my Parents Countdown to College Toolkit. In it, I discussed the steps necessary to prepare for the admissions process, how to stay organized, and the 10 mistakes parents and students often make when applying to college.
Click the link below and you can listen to the interview.